The Chrysanthemum RoadA Legend of the Five Rings CampaignCurrent Situation

Six months have passed since the ill-fated Scorpion attack on
Otosan Uchi. Although the Emperor was killed by the Great Traitor, Shoju,
the Hantei dynasty endures. The charismatic young Emperor, Hantei the 39th,
has declared the Crab and Scorpion clans enemies of the Empire, and ordered
that all Crab and Scorpion samurai surrender their name and swords to the
Imperial Legions. The Royal Families of the Great Houses of the traitor
Clans are to be executed.
The Kaiu wall is still manned only be a small force. The Crab
legions hold Beiden Pass against the Lion. The Chrysantheum Road, the hidden
road through the Mountains, is guarded by the Imperial Legions, but the
Master of Earth has been asked to command the mountains to close.
In the north, the Lion army musters under the command of Akodo
Toturi. The Crane are divided – while Hoturi is in command, his brother
Kuwanan has departed by sea for an unknown destination. Their father, Satsume,
has survived the Scorpion attempt on his life, and remains Emerald Champion.
The Unicorn clan have not heeded the Imperial call. While a scant
handful of Shinjo samurai ride with the Lion, the bulk of the Unicorn army
remains uncommitted. The Mantis have declared their neutrality.
The Phoenix council has been called to Otosan Uchi by the new
Emperor. Rumour has it that the position of Jade Champion has been revived
in a new capacity – to bring the War Kami down upon the Traitors. The Dragon
are mustering their armies, and their diplomats assure the Imperial Court
that they are loyal – but the Dragon commanders have not contacted the
other Loyalist generals.

As for the Traitor Clans – Kisada has taken the title of Shogun.
His son Yakamo commands the Crab legions at Beiden Pass. The vanishing
of Kuni Yori has thrown the Crab into confusion. Shoju’s preparations from
the Coup have ensured that the Scorpion are the clan most ready for a long
war. The Bayushi legions hold the southern end of the Chrysanthemum Road,
while Shosuro and Yogo armies besiege the isolated Daidoji lands.

The Chrysanthemum Road has divided the heart of the Empire.

The House of Bayushi Hokaido: War has ruined the once-proud House
of Suko. The twelve-year-old son of Suko’s brother Hotai, Hokaido, is now
accounted daimyo of the House. His aunt, Isamiko, rules until Hokaido and
his twin sister come of age.

The House of Bayushi Tsuyite. Where Suko has fallen, Tsuyite has
risen. Once, the House of Toshiro were reduced to a handful of samurai
and a single fortress – now, they hold much of the land around Ryoko Owari,
and their legions are formidable. Toshiro himself has vanished once more,
and is presumed dead.

The House of Yogo Mekumu. Nothing of this House now remains.

The House of Yogo Gameru. A newly-raised House, Gameru rules the
land once owned by the Mekumu. The new Lord is said to be ambitious and
cunning.

The House of Ide Kanjin. This house is in a state of crisis. Kanjin’s
passing means that his house is without a daimyo. His acknowledged heir
has fled the city, and Kanjin has no direct descendants. Two of his nephews
are claiming the title of daimyo.

The House of Shinjo Kyo. Kyo’s army was largely destroyed by the
Crab on the Chrysanthemem Road. Without his own samurai, he has turned
to his clan for support. Until the Unicorn commit to one side or the other,
Kyo is in grave danger.

The House of Hida Bakanu. This house is undergoing something of
a renaissance. As the Crab frantically switch troops from the Wall to the
northern border, Bakanu’s house has become a major mustering point. A great
fortress rises brick by brick…

The House of Matsu Shien. Nothing remains of this house. It is forgotten.

The House of Daidoji Okaido. Besieged by Scorpion, the Daidoji retreat
to their ancient fortresses. Okaido’s house is the front line of a desperate
war…

The House of Yogo Idatego. The revelation that the Sparrow family
were actually of Scorpion blood has transformed this house. Now openly
known as a member of a great Clan, Idatego has shed his meek demeanour.
Scorpion troops now patrol the borders of his holdings.

THE HANTEI LOYALISTS

LION“Those who dare challenge the Mandate of Heaven shall be cast down
into Hell” – Matsu Tsuko The failure of Toturi to protect the Emperor has further weakened
the already fragile Akodo house, and the Matsu are now the pre-eminent
family within the Lion. Lion troops gather to rid the Empire of the Great
Traitor. While Toturi leads the Lion army towards Beiden Pass, Tsuko has
been given the Ancestral Sword by the Hantei, and ordered to command the
Imperial Legions.
War is coming to the Empire, a great and terrible civil war.
The Lion will not shirk from their duty, no matter what the cost. The Crab
may have held the wall for a thousand years, but no Oni is the equal of
a charging Lion.

CRANE“Your Empire shall endure this, my Lord. We serve as we have always
done.” – Doji Hoturi The Otomo have been decimated. The Seppun, reduced to a handful.
The Miya are gone. The Scorpion, denounced as traitors. The Lion, gone
to the war.
The Crane rule the Imperial Court unchallenged. Where once the
Crane were held in check by the jealous Imperial Bureaucracy, the Doji
and Kakita now form the entirety of the government. The Crane are truly
the left hand of the Emperor in name and form.
While the courtier families triumph, the Daidoji fight a desperate
war. Their holdings are far in the south, behind the front lines. The Shogunate
troops besiege the Daidoji castles. They cannot endure for long…

PHOENIX“The heavens cry out for justice. I cannot turn my face from them.
We are called to war, brothers.” – Isawa Tsuke The Phoenix are rising. Galvanised by Tsuke, and angered by the
Scorpion Coup, the Phoenix have committed their armies and skills to the
service of the Emperor. The libraries stand empty as the shugenja ready
spells of war.
Ujimitsu rules a quiet court. His samurai are far in the south,
sent to support the Lion armies. Tsuke and the elemental council debate
the oaths of peace sworn long ago. When the Emperor needs the council’s
power for the war, can they honour both their oaths of peace and fealty?

DRAGON“The Emperor commands us to war against the Crab –truly the fortunes
are with us.” – Mirumoto Hitomi. The Dragon send their army south, heeding the Emperor’s call.
While Mirumoto Daini leads the bulk of the Dragon to guard the Empire’s
flank against the possibility of Unicorn attack, his elder sister and the
elite Mirumoto House Guard head for Beiden Pass – and Yakamo…

THE KISADA SHOGUNATE

CRAB“High rocky cliffs, strong ground, narrow paths – this is a good
place.” – Hida Sukune The Kaiu Wall is deserted. A handful of aging samurai patrol
the border with the Shadowlands. The Crab holdings now stretch from the
far south all the way to the Spine of the World. A massive Crab army holds
Beiden Pass. Shogun Kisada claims half the Empire as his domain.
The Crab are strong, stronger than they have been in centuries.
The Empire is theirs…

SCORPION“History will absolve me.” – Bayushi Shoju, the Great Traitor So many died at Otosan Uchi. Uncounted legions of samurai fell
before the Walls did. The Scorpion have learned to live with loss.
Now, a new order has come to Rokugan. The Kisada Shogunate claims
the loyalty of the Scorpion. First Minister Shoju holds court in a room
decorated with the finest tapestries which once hung in the Emperor’s Palace.
His wife Kachiko wears a pendant reserved for the Emperor’s Consort.
The Scorpion have also learned to triumph despite adversity.

THREE MAN ALLIANCE“Only a fool does not smell the change in the wind” – Kitsune Diro With their lands occupied by Crab armies, the minor Clans of
Fox, Sparrow, and Wasp have embraced the Shogunate. Wasp magistrates now
administer justice throughout Kisada’s domain, and the Fox ready themselves
to battle their cousins…

THE NEUTRAL CLANS

UNICORN“The Emperor commands me to send ten thousand men. I send him my
own samurai, who are each worth a thousand men” – Shinjo Yokatsu The Unicorn stand aloof from the war. While nominally loyal to
the Hantei, the purple banner does not march with the gold or blue. While
supposedly against the Shogunate, Unicorn rice feeds the Crab army. Yokatsu
rides a dangerous path through fate.

MANTIS“This is not yet our war.” - Yoritomo The Islands of Silk are the one place in the Empire untouched
by war. From his shining palace, the new daimyo of the Mantis watches the
unfolding war on the mainland. The Mantis could be the strength needed
to tip the balance between the Shogunate and the Loyalists…
No-one can yet tell where the storm will strike…